UCC Dual Degree Carries 20-Year Commitment to Chinese Partner
A new four-year program links University College Cork with the Communication University of China, featuring specific governance and fee structures.
By Emily Brooks ·
Residents of Cork and stakeholders in Irish higher education are seeing a new four-year degree program that links University College Cork, or UCC, with a Chinese institution. The course, titled BA (hons) in Digital Culture and Society, operates under a 20-year agreement signed in January. Students enrolled in the program pay an annual fee of approximately 11,300 euros for their studies.
The governance structure of the course includes a seven-person joint management committee. According to the agreement, this committee is chaired by a Chinese nominee. Three representatives from UCC also sit on the board. A key provision grants a seat to the person in charge of the grassroots party organisation at the Communication University of China, or CUC. This arrangement ensures that the head of the Communist Party of China cell at the university has a direct role in overseeing the curriculum and administration.
The student selection process is controlled entirely by CUC. The agreement states that students will spend their third year in Cork. They will be taught by academics from both universities and will receive separate degrees from each institution. The document specifies that teaching materials used in China must not contradict the constitution and laws of the country. It also notes that the materials should not jeopardize China’s national sovereignty, public security, or public interests.
Julia Schneider, a former professor of Sinology at UCC who is now with the University of Hamburg, raised concerns about the program while she was still employed in Cork. She left UCC in late 2024. Schneider noted that the criteria for student selection include merit, political ideas, public behavior, and online posts. She argued that giving the program an Irish endorsement could impact the idea of academic freedom. This is because academic freedom is harder to guarantee in a state like the People’s Republic of China. Schneider observed that Chinese students often monitor one another in university settings, which can limit open discussion.
The Communication University of China was founded by the Communist Party of China in 1954. Its charter states that it serves the governance of the party. The university regularly trains employees from propaganda departments in Tibet and Xinjiang. Last month, CUC hosted a 14-day training course for grassroots personnel from the publicity and ideological culture system in Xinjiang. The participants were welcomed by Vice-President Li Xinjun. The course was hosted by the publicity department of the party committee of the 14th division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
UCC staff who travel to China to teach must comply with Chinese laws related to sovereignty, security, and social interests. The agreement stipulates that they shall not offer religious education or organize religious activities within the program. UCC also prohibits soliciting membership to any religion. UCC officials stated that transnational education is a widely accepted model. They noted that China is a major partner for such programs in Ireland, with over 100 joint initiatives between Irish and Chinese universities. A spokesman said the details of the dual degree are common in global higher education agreements.
The agreement was signed at an event attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Increased higher education links with China were a focus of his visit. A study by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies raised concerns about the risks these links pose to academic freedom. The report identified the potential chilling effect on academic freedom in Irish higher education as the most significant risk. UCC said all its partnerships are subject to commitments to uphold academic freedom and protect human rights.
